'Shop-watchers' show there's a science to buying

by Johan Jaaffar

I MUST confess that going shopping with my wife and three girls can be a daunting experience. I'd rather spend time browsing at a nearby bookstore or, like many husbands and fathers, hang around trying not to look uninterested and lost.
Don't blame us. It's the fault of the shopping complexes really. They should cater for us - men - as well.

Perhaps it is true that when it comes to shopping, men are from Mars, women from Venus. I am sure the pressure is on my wife and children for having to keep me waiting. They certainly feel anxious and rushed.

How can they enjoy shopping thinking of a grumpy husband or impatient father waiting somewhere? Women by nature will spend more time, be a lot happier and more relaxed, and spend a lot more money if they are on their own. Or if they go out with their friends.

So how to deal with people like me? Two strategies are suggested by Paco Underhill in his compelling and thought-provoking book Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. The first is for the stores or sections selling women's products to figure out ways "to engage" the interest of men. The second, and more difficult one is, of course, to find ways to get the man "involved" in the process as well.

Underhill suggests, among other things, that the outlets provide catalogues for gifts, set up an emporium devoted to "male desires" (a computer store, maybe) or at least a comfortable space for the men to watch ESPN Live.

Men and women differ in almost every way, so too their buying habits and shopping patterns. We make a mistake assuming women are compulsive shoppers and men the more cautious ones.

In fact, men can be loose cannons in shopping malls. They come, they see, they buy. They move fast. And they end up buying many more unnecessary things than women.

Furthermore, men spend less time deciding what to buy. Men shop like they drive. They seldom ask for directions. And they look at the price tag last. Eighty six per cent of women do.

According to Underhill, for a man, ignoring the price tag is almost a measure of his virility. And there is another noticeable thing about men: If they can't find what they want, the tendency is to move on. When a man takes anything into a fitting room, rest assured the only thing that stops him from buying is if it does not fit.

A study showed that 65 per cent of male shoppers who tried some- thing on ended up buying the goods. Only 25 per cent of women shoppers do so.

The moral of the story is that men are reckless shoppers. Most men do not even carry a list of groceries if they enter a supermarket. Give a man a shopping cart and he'll end up buying half the store.

To supermarket owners men come straight from heaven. Call it their lack of discipline or, better, the guy thing. Men would never disappoint their children if they want additional candies or dolls. On the other hand, women realise the importance of prudent spending in such circumstances.

But many stores are ignoring the men. Men are almost unwanted in many of our retail outlets today. Apparently, store owners are not aware of the changing demographics. Men push baby-strollers now. Men help women in the kitchen. So they buy things their fathers would normally leave to the women.

In shopping complexes, caring fathers manage toddlers, feeling anxious about the wife's shopping spree, as well as looking for their own things. Yet, in many complexes, little is done to accommodate the modern father.

The truth is, even household products should be re-imagined, re-branded and re-packaged with men in mind. Where would you buy men's moisturising creams and sunblock? More often than not, you have to go to a typical women's health and beauty section. Female- oriented packaging and merchandising have marginalised the men.

At the same time, our shopping complexes are becoming more unfriendly. If my wife gets tired, the chances of her finding a place to relax are almost non-existent. We end up going to the nearest Coffee Bean or Starbucks. Many of the chairs and stools have been taken away to discourage lepak.

The truth is, tired people buy less. They seldom go back to the shops after food. We largely ignore the middle-aged and the elders. In our shopping complexes, queues are long and time consuming. Many would rather skip shopping than endure the wait. Can't they just open more counters?

Underhill's book is about buying - a process modern men and women have been doing all their lives, but which is being taken for granted. He is an anthropologist, if you like, studying modern shoppers.

He and his colleagues spent countless hours "tracking" shoppers and their behaviours. They videotaped shoppers, then collated, digested and tabulated every bit of information. A new science was born - that of shopping.

For the last two decades, Underhill and gang have been providing valuable information to supermarkets, restaurants, specialist stores, you name it.

You and I are merely shopping guinea-pigs for the "trackers". They follow our every movement, they measure and count every significant motion of a shopping trip, and even map the entire foray.

One example: You come in at 2.30pm, go to the men's section, stop at one corner to watch a display, pause to check on the price tag of an expensive sweater, stroke three ties, buy a Pagoda T-shirt and join the cashier queue 23 minutes later, as the third person in line, paying with a MasterCard. Every move you make is watched.

Why such details? Shopping is huge business. People buy things all the time. Most shoppers have their grouses. Underhill's job is to help stores and supermarkets sell their products better. And make life less arduous for shoppers.

Shopping complexes - their layout, displays and placing of products - have changed largely because of studies and recommendations made by people like Underhill.

Perhaps it is about time buyers were treated better by retailers. The dynamics of the modern retail environment will hopefully change for the better. Read the book and you'll understand why the new science is so welcome.